If Liam Neeson has learnt anything after starring in his first major comedy, it's this: you can't force funny.
“The only note I gave to myself each day was be serious,” Neeson tells The National. “I told myself, try not to be funny – because there's nothing more embarrassing than seeing a film and someone is trying to be funny.”
There's another lesson, too, one the Irish actor, 73, has had to relearn many times over the years: you can't force chemistry, either.
Neeson has starred in more than 100 movies – but never has he connected with another actor quite the way he did with Pamela Anderson on the set of The Naked Gun.
“I had lovely chemistry with Pamela, and I thought: 'Don't touch this. This is just working.' Which was lovely. And it's rare – certainly for me it is," Neeson says.
Even during our conversation with Neeson and Anderson, who People reports have fallen in love in real life, their chemistry is clear. At times, the two burst out laughing, quoting to each other some of their favourite bits from the film, which opens in Middle East cinemas on Thursday.
The Naked Gun, directed by Akiva Schaffer, is a legacy sequel to the 1980s and 1990s film trilogy starring Leslie Nielsen and helmed by the famed trio Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker (Airplane!). In it, Neeson plays the son of Nielsen's character Frank Drebin – and has followed in his father's footsteps as an idiosyncratic detective.
Neither Neeson and Anderson are, at first glance, obvious choices for an absurdist comedy. But as production went on, both discovered comedic muscles they didn't know they had – and rediscovered parts of themselves they had long forgotten.
In one long sequence, Anderson's character Beth jumps on stage with a jazz band to create a diversion for Frank Jr. Anderson's character then launches into an extended improvisational jazz singing session – known as scat. To director Schaffer's surprise, it was a skill she already had – and it just so happened to be a key part of his script.
Anderson says: “I used to be in a jazz band when I was in eighth grade, and I would do all the scat solos because nobody else would do it. Then, when I was doing an audition, I told Akiva: 'I do scat.' He said: 'You know what, now?'
“I then did my eighth grade scat for him, and he said: 'OK, I think you've got the job.'”
Audiences have become used to modern comedies being heavy on improvisation and light on script. The Naked Gun, meanwhile, featured almost no improvisation – even in Anderson's “improvisational jazz” session.
“That whole thing was scripted. I had to learn the whole thing,” says Anderson. “And it was so much longer than it appears in the film. It starts a bit Fabulous Baker Boys and by the end, I was just making Super Mario noises. Akiva was just sitting there giggling behind the camera.”
Paul Walter Hauser, who plays Frank Jr's partner, has acted in many comedies before – and was surprised to find that, for the first time, he wouldn't be improvising.
“I've done dramas where I had to improvise more than this movie,” Hauser says. “I'd been a fan of Akiva back from his days in the Lonely Island on Saturday Night Live, and seeing how silly they are on screen, I assumed he'd be silly in real life. But he was far more thoughtful and collegiate about the same thing. There was a severity to his approach, in a good way."
Schaffer got the strategy after watching nearly every spoof movie ever made, studying what worked and what didn't. In his mind, the only way The Naked Gun would work is if he approached the film's story structure much like Neeson did his performance – with utmost seriousness.
“With those old movies, audiences leave saying: 'The story didn't matter, it's just a bunch of jokes, it's great!' And I think that's the magic trick that they're pulling off,” Schaffer says.
“In reality, the story has to be so clear, easy to follow and engaging that you can, as an audience member, throw it away and not pay attention to it. If the story moves too slowly or isn't interesting enough, the jokes stop working.
“When I watched old spoof movies that didn't work, it was because the story was less engaging. You have to make such a good story that the audience can ignore it."
Neeson, meanwhile, didn't go back and watch a single one. “I had to trust the script – and trust my cast. I didn't let my ego get above any other actor. And they're all superb,” Neeson says. “Pamela, especially.”
The result has been nearly universally lauded, with the film earning rave reviews from critics around the world.
As Hauser puts it: “I think Liam Neeson just saved comedy.”
The Naked Gun is in UAE cinemas on Thursday
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
PAKISTAN SQUAD
Abid Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Azhar Ali (test captain), Babar Azam (T20 captain), Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Haider Ali, Iftikhar Ahmad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Imran Khan, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Kashif Bhatti, Shadab Khan and Yasir Shah.
GRAN%20TURISMO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Neill%20Blomkamp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Harbour%2C%20Orlando%20Bloom%2C%20Archie%20Madekwe%2C%20Darren%20Barnet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Manchester United v Liverpool
Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
FIXTURES
Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Bio:
Favourite Quote: Prophet Mohammad's quotes There is reward for kindness to every living thing and A good man treats women with honour
Favourite Hobby: Serving poor people
Favourite Book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite food: Fish and vegetables
Favourite place to visit: London
More on animal trafficking
Company%20profile
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Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
Company%20profile
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
